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The Greens have secured an Australian-first register of foreign owned water entitlements, in agreeing to support government legislation that gives the Foreign Investment Review Board greater scope to check if sales of Australian land to overseas buyers is in the national interest.

Greens Leader Christine Milne says changes to the Foreign Investment Review Board are a step in the right direction, but there's a long way to go if Australia is serious about protecting our food future.

"It's critical we make sure that Australia's agricultural land and water are seen as key national assets not to be sold off recklessly," said Senator Milne.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne says the hypocrisy of new Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce on foreign investment has already been exposed, after his miraculous change of heart on the buy up of more than 5,500 square kilometres of cattle station in northern Australia by Indonesian agribusiness.

"I never thought of Barnaby Joyce as a gymnast, but this stunning backflip has sold out his constituents with a perfect ten," Senator Milne said.

"Kevin Rudd's awakening on foreign ownership of agricultural land, just hours after his agriculture minister announced no change to the current lax regime, should fool no-one," Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said.

"Mr Rudd might be ‘anxious' about foreign ownership of agricultural land, but the fact remains that his government has done nothing about it.